Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.
--H.L. Mencken

Monday, October 04, 2004

Kerry's beef with Iraq/Afghanistan battle plans

Citizen Smash has a brilliant piece discussing why exactly Kerry's arguments about specific instances of battle plans in the War on Terror don't hold water:

This is not a military dictatorship. The President makes the decision to go to war, after consulting with Congress. He may even approve or veto specific military strategies. But he does not write the war plan – the Pentagon does that. Our war planners are some of the most brilliant, thoughtful, and well-educated warriors on the planet. They’ve studied Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, and Mahan. They’ve dissected and analyzed all the major battles in history, from Thermopylae to Desert Storm. They know about logistics, intelligence, artillery, air support, guerilla tactics, and psychological warfare. They are professionals – the best of the best.

George W. Bush may have presided over a poorly run war, but we must keep some perspective on the fact that a President will defer to his generals when making military decisions. Some of the blame may well fall to the President, but by no means can all, or even most, be assigned to him.